'Completely irrelevant': Portsmouth boss John Mousinho responds to West Brom points deduction reports
Blues fans have been cheered by fresh reports of a potential points deduction for the Baggies amid the relegation battle
John Mousinho has refused to be distracted by reports of relegation rivals West Brom facing a possible points deduction.
According to The Daily Telegraph, the Baggies have been charged by the Football League for an alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules in the 2024-25 campaign.
If found guilty, sanctioning guidelines state the punishment would need to be applied this season. Potentially, that could be in the form of a points deduction for the side placed 20th in the Championship.
The dramatic development has inevitably been warmly greeted by many Blues fans, with Mousinho’s team presently one point adrift of West Brom and the relegation battle heads towards its finale.
However, Mousinho is paying absolutely no attention to the situation at this stage - and remains fully focussed on securing Pompey’s Championship safety.
‘It’s completely irrelevant to us at the moment’
He told The News: ‘It doesn’t affect us at all, until it does.
‘So there is absolutely no point in us sitting around, thinking about what could be. If this happens, if that happens, there’s nothing we can do about it.
‘We can’t rely on that, we just have to make sure we pick up as many points as we possibly can to get out of where we are in the league. It doesn't affect us whatsoever right now. Maybe it will in the future, but not right now.
‘That one is incredibly easy to put to one side because it’s just completely irrelevant to us at the moment. The second we start looking at potential points deductions for other teams, we are in a spot of bother.
‘I was surprised to hear the news, but I really couldn’t care less about what’s going on there until something lands on the desk and is completely confirmed. Even then, we still have to pick up points.
‘We still have to pick up enough points to stay in the league at our end.’
In the meantime, Mousinho is preparing his team for tomorrow night’s crucial visit of Ipswich (8pm), representing the Blues’ game in hand on their rivals.
Buoyed by five points from a possible nine since the international break, including the remarkable 97th-minute victory at Middlesbrough on Saturday, they will face the Tractor Boys with renewed hope.
Ironically, Pompey’s last Fratton Park came against the Baggies in a 3-0 success at the end of January.
‘A bit of a free hit’
Mousinho added: ‘We talked about the eight-game season we had coming off the back of the intentional break.
‘We have played three of those now and still have five huge, huge games left. This one tomorrow night against Ipswich is the game in hand, a bit of a free hit from that perspective.
‘We’ve just got to embrace it and make sure that, whatever happens in terms of results, we show those requisite levels of desire, commitment and fire.
‘I think it’s an exciting game, it’s a very, very tough match, Ipswich are a very good side and it’s going to be a very interesting battle between two sides who both have something to play for.